Sweet Brother Of Mine
by HiJackers
Summary: Brothers AU, HiJack. Hiccup and Jack are brothers. And as we all know, between two brothers there's a huge brotherly love. What if this brotherly love between our two favorite dorks, Jack and Hiccup, changed and developed into something... more?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everybody! I'm actually Ed, even if the author of this chapter is Zach... Okay... I have nothing to say... ._. **

**Uhm... There is nothing to say... Uh... Mother fudger of a fudge... OH! In these first two chapters, Hiccup is 5 and Jack is 7. From chapter 3 to further notice, they will be 15 and 17.**

**We both hope that you readers will like this Brothers AU. Uh... Okay... Have a good read!**

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**Chapter 1 – I won't tell mum (Zach)**

"Jack, stop, you're going to fall."

"No I'm not! I'm going to jump!"

Every winter, the two would always have this fight. Jack would climb on top of the garage and jump off, trying his hardest to do a back flip and land into the large snow banking they were making. Hiccup, in turn, would panic for his brother's safety and nag him about how bad an idea it was. How he could lose an arm or break a leg or crack his skull. Of course, he never listened to his younger sibling and jumped anyway.

Hiccup leaned against his shovel and stared at his overly blonde idiot of a brother, rolling his eyes as he prepared to jump. "Mom is going to get angry when she comes home and finds you buried under the snow."

"She won't ever find out because you'll never tell her."Jack smiled happily down at the brunet, tightening the gloves he was forced to wear.

It was true. When it came to the possibility of getting in trouble, the two always looked out for each other. It was a kind of sickness and reflex to stand up for the other, even if they did deserve to be without television for a week.

Whenever Jack were to get into situations where the risk of being grounded was high, Hiccup would cover it up as much as he could. He couldn't count the number of times he stuffed his brother's bed to make it look like he was still sleeping so he wouldn't get in trouble for going out to see his friends late at night. And the sinks of dishes he did so that Jack wouldn't get caught playing video games must have been in the dozens. It was a miracle his hands were still as soft as they were.

But the loyalty wasn't just on Hiccup's part, it was also on Jack's. The bullies at school now feared the seven year old after what happened to their leader. He hardly ever spoke his name and few were too scared too, in case he were to hear. He had the misfortune of torturing poor little Hiccup until his screams rang through the halls and reaching his brother's ear. Jack ran out of his class and clawed at the kid's face as much as he could, kicking him down to the bathroom floor. Even though nobody even thought of touching the brunet, he always stopped at Jack's class and waited for him to come out so they could go together.

Hiccup put his hand on his hip and raised an eyebrow. "What if I do tell her? Then what are you going to do?"

"You wouldn't do that to me, now would you?" Jack laughed and walked to the middle of the roof.

It was honestly hard sometimes to figure out which one was the oldest. "I…I would! I-I'll do it this time! I swear!"

"You can't swear!"

"Yes I can!"

"Cannonball!"

Jack was never one to listen. He always said luck was on his side. Sadly, it wasn't. The child ran and jumped off the side of the garage roof, trying to flip as he would usually do. And as he did, his leg hit the edge of the roof on the house next to theirs. A sickening snap echoed through the air and the wind was completely knocked out of Jack's lungs. He fell into the snow and just stared at the sky. Everything was numb.

Hiccup screamed at the sight and quickly ran inside the house to get the babysitter who was getting ready to serve hot chocolate. Tears ran down his face as he tried to explain to the teen what had happened, his fingers constantly pointing at the door. The babysitter grabbed the phone and called for an ambulance.

"Go wait with your brother!" She screamed at the brunet, frantically telling what she knew.

The sight nearly made him faint. When Hiccup walked outside, his legs shaking and his hands fidgeting, he saw Jack laying there, motionless. There was no blood, there was no sound; there was just him and his older brother in the snow.

The fact that Jack didn't even look over at him was terrifying. The fact that Jack didn't even cry was horrid. It was almost like he was a life sized doll just laying there, staring out into the distance. Tears slowly leaked down Hiccup's face as he walked over, holding Jack's cold hand.

'_Is this it? Is he dead?_' He wondered, giving the hand a shake. "J-Jack? Jack are you okay?"

There was no answer. Hiccup stared at him for any sign, any sign at all. Finally, he saw one. His eyes, his brother's eyes were moving. They glanced this way and that, blinking even as the world slowly came back to him. Tears glistened on the brims of his eyes and he finally looked over at his younger sibling, a small groan of pain escaping him. "H-Hic, it hurts."

"Don't die, Jack. Please don't die!" To a five year old, no matter how smart, stuff like this was scary. Seeing someone you care so much for fall off a roof like that and not move is up there with the fear of darkness and the boogieman.

Jack groaned and began to move closer to him. "I'm gonna be okay. It's gonna b-ahh!"

The tears flowed out faster than a waterfall, his screams just as loud as the snap a few minutes before. Trying to hug the child was a horrible idea. Completely and utterly horrible. He began regretting trying to comfort his brother as he moved his leg back to where it was.

Jack's screams and cries were just as worse as him being dead. Hiccup began crying into his mittens, the sounds of the ambulance sirens causing him to panic more. Whenever he heard them, he always thought of those horror movies the older boy made him watch. Sirens meant the hospital and the hospital meant waiting for death. And he didn't want his brother to die. They were too young.

Hiccup hugged the blonde tightly, sobbing into his shirt, his cries tied with pleads for him to be alright. When the paramedics finally arrived, they had a hard time pulling the child away from Jack. Who knew a fishbone like him could have been so strong? His hands and wrists were so small, they looked like they would break just picking things up.

"Okay, can you hear me?" One of the paramedics asked, picking Jack up while the other consoled the youngest. "What's your name?"

"M-my name is Jack." He whimpered, crying out when he was placed on the gurney. "W-where's Hiccup? Where's my brother?"

The man flashed a light in both eyes as he spoke. "He'll becoming with you in just a moment." The light flashed off. "Alright, do you know how old you are?"

"I'm seven."

"Good, good." He walked out of the child's sight, the sound of metal clanking against metal made him worried. What were they going to do? "Now, we're just going to give you some morphine. It will cut back the pain but it'll make you very sleepy. Hold still."

Jack did as told, keeping still as he felt a small needle strike his arm. It took a few seconds for the pain killer to flow into his veins but when it did, boy, did he feel strange. Was it four paramedics that walked in? Three? How many Hiccups were there really? There were too many to count. And then he closed his eyes.

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

"_Doctor Thorn to surgery, please. Doctor Thorn to surgery."_

A cart being pulled, doctors being called frantically, the beeping and groans of nearby people. He knew exactly where he was. He was in the hospital. And his head was spinning terribly.

Jack sat up in his bed, looking down at his covered legs. The right leg, his broken leg, was huge compared to the left and he wondered if it was just swollen. He pulled the blanket aside and saw that it did indeed have a cast embracing it. Another look around, he saw that he was in a temporary emergency room.

'_I should have listened…_' Jack thought sadly to himself.

He was always a risk taker, a thrill seeker. He would climb trees to the highs top and laugh as his weight made it bend. His parents always counted on him to put the Christmas lights up around the roof of the house. The boy truly seemed to have no fear. Unless it came to Hiccup. Then he had so many fears, you couldn't count them.

Jack could remember back to when the brunet was born. It was cold and raining, his father was very sarcastic that it was such a lovely day to have a child. He remembered playing at the play table they had built in the waiting room and he remembered listening to the weather forecast that played on the hanging television. The child was only two at the time so he couldn't remember how bad the weather was getting or how good it was going to be that weekend. In fact, he couldn't remember the nurse calling for them when it was time to see the new addition. When they walked into the hospital room, there was his mom, sweaty, red, and smiling. In her hands was a very small bundle. She gestured for them to come closer and when he did, he couldn't believe his eyes. The thing in her hands, his new baby brother, was so tiny. His hands could just barely wrap around Jack's finger when he reached out to pet the brown tuffs on this baby's head. He looked so soft and he felt so gentle. He had to protect this child.

That was the first time he ever remembered going to the hospital. The only time he ever remembered going to the hospital. Until now. Yes, he was a risk taker, but he was careful. All except for this one time.

"You should have been more careful this time." Hiccup's small voice came from the doorway.

Jack smiled down at his brother as he walked up to his bedside. "I'll be extra, extra careful next time. Just don't be a crybaby."

"I am not a crybaby!" If he wasn't in bed with a broken leg, he would have strangled him.

He chuckled at his younger sibling's face and ruffled his hair. After a while of watching television and hearing many more frantic calls to the surgery room, Jack looked over at Hiccup. "Did they call mom and dad yet?"

"They did. They should have been here by now. The doctors called when we were still at home."

"And how long ago was that?"

"Four hours I think. I can't tell time good."

The oldest looked up at the clock. He was right, four or five hours more or less. They were only out to dinner in a place not very far from here. So why was it taking so long? Did they just shrug this off as nothing?

They waited for another hour until the doctor finally came in. His smile was sad as if he had bad news. Jack propped himself up as here turned the smile, expecting the other to say that it wasn't a broken leg but something much worse and life threatening.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, checking over the chart that hung off the footboard.

The child shrugged. "A lot better now. How bad is it, doc? You got the bad look."

The doctor nodded, flipping the pages as if to ignore the question. This was the sign of horrible news. He knew it. Whenever his parents had to tell him that they couldn't have his birthday party or go to the park, they stayed silent for the longest time, their lips puckered as if it left a horrible taste in their mouths.

"We need to get you ready to see your mom."

His heart dropped when he saw the wheelchair roll in. Jack wasn't very good at school, but he knew that people came into the hospital room to visit, not walk out. He looked down at Hiccup who thankfully looked confused. The kid was smart but thank the gods he wasn't smart enough to understand the deep meaning those words had. Even if he would soon enough.

There were mumbles in the halls as the nurses pushed him in the wheel chair. Jack could hear some of what they said. Their whispers were full of 'those poor kids' and 'will their mother make it'. Hiccup had clearly heard them. Of course, he didn't say anything. He was a soldier like that.

Their father sat outside the room, his face buried deep into his hands. There were a few bruises on him and he prayed under his breath, asking for any higher being for the help his wife needed. Jack frowned and held his brother's hand. He could tell that what they were about to see was going to be horrifying. And it was.

Half of her face was swollen and black, her nose bleeding and every other part of her seemed broken. Hiccup frowned at the sight and crawled up onto the bed, curling up into her arms as he always did. "Mom?" He asked.

Their mother gave him a small smile. "Everything will be okay, my little one."

"Mom, are you going to be okay?"

"I will soon." She nodded, gesturing for Jack to come closer. "Listen, both of you. Sometimes things happen to good people. Things that are very bad."

Her oldest picked up her chart and gave it a quick scan. During the five hours they were in the hospital, she was in a car accident. More than likely trying to get here to her children.

"But nothing bad will happen to us, right?" Hiccup wiped away some of his tears. "You'll be able to come home tomorrow, right? The doctors will fix you."

"Doctors cannot fix everything, little one. I cannot be fixed. The best thing for me to do is to slip away."

"But mom!" Jack stood up as much as he could. This couldn't be happening. She was going to die and it was going to be his fault. "Mom, you can't leave us!"

Their mother simply smiled and caressed both their cheeks, taking in their sights. Hiccup looked so much like his father and too much of herself went into Jack. But she was happy that he got her blonde, almost white hair. "My babies." She whispered.

"Don't go, mom." Now Jack was beginning to feel tears run down his face.

"I love you both. Take care of each other."

The monitor went flat. Her hands fell. And the only sound in the whole wing of the hospital was the screams and cries of the two brothers, begging for their mother to come back.

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**So, the first chapter is over. Okay, I do believe that the Angst level of this story will increase exponentially with the time. But I also know that a story is something unpredictable... So, I'll put Hurt/Comfort. Tell us if you think that Angst is more appropiate, m'kay?**

**Thanks for reading! And leave a review!**

**As our friend AlexJohnD (What?! You haven't checked his stories yet?! GO DO IT NOW!) once said:**

***insert clever line asking for reviews***


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Guys! It's Ed up here! How are you doing? I'm about to take a Cambridge Examination (CAE to be precise) and what excercise is better than writing a fanfiction? **

**So, I want to thank you all for the reviews and for the favorites and everything else! You are truly amazing, guys.**

**I'll leave up to Zach to answer the reviews you gave to his chapter, alright? He'll contact you by PM. And the same thing shall I do wne I answer to the reviews in my chapters.**

**I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! Bye! **

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**Chapter 2 – Funeral (Ed)**

When Hiccup woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in his beloved bed. This one wasn't even nearly as soft and good smelling as the one that his mommy made for him every evening, right before he slipped in his pajamas, brushed his teeth and went to sleep. He sniffed the air and registered that the whole place he was in reeked of medicines, alcohol and disinfectant. The child opened his eyes, his vision slightly blurry. From the light, or rather the lack of it, he understood that it wasn't exactly midday. Everything was dark and he couldn't recognize where he was. The dim, faint light that filtered through a door, was just enough for him to see that the whole room was covered, from the floor to the ceiling, in green, marble tiles.

The breath of the five year old started to become heavier, shallow as fear seeped into him, like it could only into a child. That place was making Hiccup panic and he started trying to move frantically, but he found out that he was hugged to something. When he turned around, to see that he was laying next to his big brother, Hiccup sighed loudly in relief.

If he was with his big brother, he was safe.

He scooted closer to Jack, when he felt something tap against his foot. He jumped back, scared, at first. Then he looked down: around his brother's right leg there was a curious thing that he couldn't quite name. It looked white, even if it was not easy to tell in the darkness, and, judging from what he felt against his toes, it was hard and cold. It slowly dawned on him that the thing was a cast.

'_What?_' He thought, surprised. _'Why does Jack have a cast around his leg?'_

Hiccup was honestly unsure of what to think: he had no idea of the reason for which his brother's leg was wrapped into that thing. It was slowly that his brain brought back to memory everything that happened the day before- It all came back in a sad, demoralizing, horrible sequence: his and Jack's seasonal jumping game, Jack's tripping and falling down in the wrong way, the horrible snap that, even now, still echoed in his ears, the fear that Jack was about to die during the rush to the hospital and…

"M-mom?" he whispered, his voice cracking and his breathing becoming unsteady and heavy again. "Mum? Tell me it was a joke… i-it must be… I don't like this joke. Please come out…"

The childish heart held the foul conviction that it was all a prank, one of those things that children would have understood when they were older. He firmly believed that his mom was going to abruptly burst out from behind a wall and start laughing, while Jack would unwrap his leg from the cast and start jumping around as he liked to always do, sneering at him because he fell for all that absurd thing. His childish mind, for as smart and sharp as it was, just couldn't and didn't want to accept the idea of his brother getting hurt, the idea of his mother being gone forever. But the more time passed, the harder it was to try and keep pushing the truth out of the borders of his mind.

Before he could even realize it, a chocked sob escaped his throat and a tear was leaving a moist, salty trail down on his cheek. "Mommy…" he wept gently. "Don't be gone, please… I need you…"

There was no answer. The silence, broken only by the almost inaudible, soft sobs of the five year old child, was oppressing. He called for his mom a few more times, hoping every time that, hearing her little kid cry, she would have come back.

When, after a minute of his desperate, useless calling, he felt a hand on the top of his head, for a second he thought that his wish had come true, that all his prayers had been fulfilled. But that hand was weird: it wasn't as warm as his mother's, neither was it as big.

"Hey Hiccup, what's wrong?" Jack, the morphine in his blood having run out, had woken up. He carefully pulled his younger brother closer to him, minding his own broken leg, and started caressing the other's hair. "Don't cry…"

Hiccup looked up at Jack, his eyes as teary as human eyes could get, his smallish body shaken by sobs and whimpers. "Mo-mommy is…" Hiccup shook his head and cried harder. He clung to his big brother tightly and continued shaking his head. "I want my m-mum…" he bawled. "I want my mum… I don't want her being gone…"

Jack's eyes welled up with tears as well. He wanted their mum too. He wanted her soothing words, her smiling face, that always seemed to lift everybody's mood, her warm hugs and soft kisses, that never failed to make every injury better, to make everybody feel loved. He wanted their mum too. But he couldn't let his weakness, his sadness, his pain show. He couldn't let his tiny, little brother see him crying.

He had to be strong. He had to be strong for his little brother. He had to look out for him, to protect him.

So he choked his tears back.

"I know, Hiccup. I know…" Jack whispered, trying to pull out a soothing voice. Having failed miserably in his attempt, since the best he managed to pull out was a voice that was even more wobbly than Hiccup's, he continued. "But… she's gone now. And we can't change that. But she's always going to be with us. She's never gonna leave us. She's going to be right here." Jack touched Hiccup's chest, placing his hand right above where the brunet's heart was, causing the younger to look up at him. The sight of Hiccup's face, covered with tears and crossed by sadness, made Jack's stomach churn: his little brother, his beloved Hiccup was so sad and he looked so worn… and all because of him.

Jack felt as if a hand had just squeezed his heart, as he realized the full guilt that he had in what just happened: it was him who had recklessly jumped down from the roof of their mansion, it was him who made their parents hurry out of the restaurant and push the pedal to the metal on the road, it was his fault if his dad, worried for him, had driven his car too fast and didn't notice the red light, or whatever it had been that caused the accident, and crashed into the truck that was casually driving down the street. It was his fault if his mother died. It was all his fault. He had a hard time not to start screaming out loud in that moment, not to follow his younger brother into the weeping, not to leave Hiccup alone. The way of tears seemed so inviting and easy that he was truly tempted to walk it.

'_No! No, no, no. That's not what mum told me to do! I have to look out for him.'_ The thought came sudden and strong into Jack's brain. His subconscious was right. He had to help Hiccup. He somehow pulled out an uncertain smile and directed it down at Hiccup.

"She's always going to be in our hearts, you know Hic?" Jack said. "She'll never leave us. And she wouldn't want us to cry. She'd want us to smile as she liked to do in every moment of the day."

"How can we smile without mommy?" Hiccup whispered, his tears slowing and his sobs calming down just a bit even if he clung to Jack tighter.

"Let's not think about mom being gone, hm?" Jack answered, his smile more solid by the second. "Let's think to every cool thing we'll be able to do while she's not here to keep an eye on us, alright hatchling?"

"Like what?" Hiccup didn't seem convinced at all.

"Well, we can drink all the hot chocolate that we want, not just two mugs each. Or we can play hide and seek until later than 9 PM. Or we can… uh… play videogames for all the time we want. Oh! We can sleep in on Sundays, now. And we can make a mess out of our room!" Jack suddenly had an idea. "But, most important of it all…"

"What? What is most important?" Hiccup asked, completely thrilled by then. Fortunately for Jack, even if Hiccup's brain was way more developed than the one of a child his age, his attention still remained the shifty attention of a five years old.

"Nobody can stop me from stealing your nose!" With that, Jack played the old 'got your nose' prank on Hiccup.

The little boy, not expecting such a sudden thing, started giggling, a few tears still running down his cheeks, until the soft laughter completely erased the tears and chased the brunet's sobs away, taking his mind off of those sad thoughts.

After a good five minutes of playing, though, Jack had to hush Hiccup because his laugher was becoming too loud and they seriously ran the risk of waking up any other patient in the ward. They came down with an agreement: if Hiccup behaved and promised to sleep, Jack would have given the nose back.

"Do you really think that she'll be with us and look after us from somewhere else, Jack?" Hiccup asked calmly, burying his face into his brother's chest. "Do you really think she wouldn't want us to cry?"

"Yes, Hic. To both." Jack stated. His smile slowly flattened into a neutral expression, since the brunet couldn't see it anymore. "I know that for sure."

"Then I promise I won't cry anymore."

"You are a really good boy, Hiccup." Jack whispered, patting the other's head. "Come on, sleep now. It's going to be a hard, long day tomorrow. They'll have to bury her, do you remember? And we want to be at our full energy to say our goodbyes to mum."

Hiccup nodded slowly and sleepily, as he snuggled up to his brother, seeking the most similar thing he could find to the comforting warm of his mother. Jack wasn't the warmest thing ever and he, obviously, wasn't his mother. But he was better than nothing, anyways. "Sing me a lullaby, Jack."

"What?"

"The one that mum always sung when we couldn't sleep. Sing me that lullaby."

Jack smiled and kissed the top of Hiccup's head. "Sure thing, hatchling." He said, before starting to sing gently, with a surprisingly soft voice. Hiccup had to admit, in fact, that his brother sung quite well, even if his mother was on a completely different level.

"_My little smallish love_

_My dear child_

_Fear not in this dark night_

_For I'm here_

_I will always be with you_

_I will always protect you_

_Sleep now in this black dark night,_

_Sleep now, sleep it away_

_You're with me and we shall wait_

_The sunrise"_

Jack sang. When he was done, he noticed that Hiccup had fallen asleep. He sadly smiled down at the napping figure in his arms. _'Look out for each other.' _His mum's voice echoed into his head, bouncing off the walls of his brain. "I will, mom…" He whispered to himself, curling up around Hiccup as much as his broken leg would allow him to do. "I promise that I will."

Jack finally allowed the tears, that he had wanted to cry earlier, to come and stain his face. In the darkness of that sad night, he decided that he would have carried, from then on, both his and his brother's sadness. He wouldn't have allowed anything that he could fight to hurt his little brother. Anything. With that in mind, he cried himself to a sleep without nightmares, but without any dream either.

When Jack woke up the morning after, he didn't have Hiccup in his arms.

In fact, his little brother was sitting next to his bed, dressed in a black shirt that didn't fit him at all, and a pair of black trousers. "Morning, Jackie…" he hummed when he saw the white haired boy waking up. "How are you feeling, today?"

"Pretty good." Jack joked. "For a guy with a broken leg and that has to go where we have to go to."

Hiccup's expression visibly saddened, as he nodded. "Dad said that he'll be waiting for us in front of the main doors. You have to wear this…" The brunet tossed a bag on Jack's bed.

When the older one opened it, he saw a black tuxedo and a white shirt, as sober as a shirt could be. Jack sighed and, with the help of his little brother, he slid on both the shirt and the tuxedo, having some difficulty with the pants.

One hour later, they were sitting on the first of several rows of chairs (Jack was on his wheelchair) in Berk's common graveyard. A priest was blessing their mother's coffin, before trusting the earth with her body and the Heavens with her soul. After the coffin had been lowered into the hole, that had been dug into the ground for that purpose, Stoick stood and grabbed a handful of dirt, cobbles and humus, throwing it in the hole. Hiccup and Jack followed and did the same.

"Good bye, mum…" Hiccup whispered sadly as he sat back on his seat, watching other people throwing their handful. He watched the others' long procession, holding to his brother's arm. He kept sniffling and rubbing his eyes for a whole minute, before he found the courage to weakly squeak out a call for Jack's attention.

"What is it, little one?" Jack asked.

"I-I know I promised I wouldn't cry anymore b-but… C-can I do it only for this once?" Hiccup's lips were shaking, as well as his shoulders.

The white haired boy smiled softly and pulled his younger brother to sit in his lap, ignoring the sharp wave of pain that shot up his broken leg as Hiccup's foot accidentally bounced in his cast, and hugged the child's nose into his shoulder.

Hiccup's childish tears once more found easy way out of the brunet's eyes and flooded, wetting Jack's shirt. This time, it took just a minute for the brunet to calm down, but after he did, there was no way he would move from his brother's lap. His father pleads were useless: he just wouldn't let go of Jack.

"Jack, tell your brother to get off." Stoick said with a sigh. "He'll hurt your already broken leg even more."

"Dad, it's fine. Really. He found a nice settlement so that he doesn't hurt me and he keeps me warm. I'm okay with carrying him." Jack replied, shrugging carelessly and ruffling Hiccup's hair with a smile on his face. "Ain't that right, hatchling?"

Hiccup nodded and stuck his tongue out at his dad.

"Alright, fine. Just be careful." Stoick conceded. "Especially you, Jackson."

"Don't worry, dad." Jack said, then he added with a whisper. "I'll look after him."

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**Oh... poor babies... *hides face and whispers to self* Don't cry Ed, don't cry...**

***coughs* Alright! See you in the next chapters! Leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey, um..people. This is Zach. Sorry for the long long wait...it's my fault. And I'm also sorry for the suckiness of this chapter. Next one will be better for sure. Mainly because I'm not the one writing it. Anyway...enjoy?**

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The first day of school was usually the hardest day of them all. Sure, there were finals weeks, finals prep weeks, and catch up days in between today and the last day of school, but the first was hardest.

Their first school year without their mother, Hiccup kept running to Jack's classroom, refusing to leave the seven year old's side which resulted in the teachers calling up their father everyday. Even so, the brunet wouldn't leave him; always holding his hand or tugging at his sleeve.

When Jack went up into high school, the whole family was hit harder than they had expected. Stoick moped around the house for months at the thought of his oldest growing up. Hiccup became more nervous everyday, never knowing if Jack was going to return home that day or end up in the hospital from being in a car accident. Jack, on the first day of Freshmen year, allowed himself to shed a tear or two but never too many.

And now the two ran about the house trying to get ready; Hiccup excited for his Junior year, Jack not so much for his Senior. While his younger brother put on a dress shirt, straightened his tie, and packed his bag, he laid in their bedroom staring at the television, still in his pajamas.

"Jackson!" Hiccup snapped. "Come on! Get up and get dressed!"

The seventeen year old groaned and rolled over on his side, his back facing his brother. "I honestly don't feel good, Hic. Just let me sleep…"

"I can tell you're lying, you know." He rolled his eyes. In fact, he would know more about lying than Jack would. Every time his older brother stayed home sick from school, he always convinced their father he was as well. This resulted in many sneak trips to the kitchen to fix up a bowl of soup for him.

Jack only grunted in reply, laying on his back with his eyes closed. In truth, he wasn't all that great an actor. It wasn't a wonder he was always caught after a prank was played.

Having had enough of this childishness and knowing that time was short, Hiccup grabbed one of the many pillows on Jack's bed and began hitting him as hard as he could with it. This started a full on pillow fight which continued for at least ten minutes. Jack had grabbed a pillow with each hand and laughed as he attacked his younger brother, soon getting him into a corner of the room. Hiccup, on the other hand, only started laughing and playing around when he knew how close he was to defeat.

The oldest boy chuckled when he saw the brunet smile and laugh and playfully beg for mercy as he pressed the pillows against him, forcing him to slide down the corner and sit on the floor. He went to his knees and stared at him straight in the eyes.

"This may be a bad time, but…" He looked down at his brother's shirt and grinned, looking back up at him. "Your shirt and hair are a mess."

Hiccup's eyes went wide and he looked at his shirt, checking his hair. "Jack, you messed it up! Now I have to do all this over again! And we have school in twenty minutes!" He groaned and stood up, trying to fix his hair as he began walking out of the room. "And get dressed and ready!"

It was an odd thing to see them walking down to the bus stop later on that morning. Normally, kids wear their brand new clothes they had just gotten that summer or the few days before the first day. Teens walking down the street prided in their new hairstyles, possibly new hair colors, new shirts and skirts and shorts and pants and shoes. Hiccup would even pride himself in his new pants and shirt and tie, his shoes just one size too big and his brand spanking new shoulder bag that bounced off his hip was amazingly cool. But Jack…well, he just looked more proud of himself than he did of his look.

Same old blue sweatshirt, same ripped, loose jeans, same hairstyle that, one had to admit, looked greasy as if he hadn't showered. His shoes hung from his shoulder, one bouncing against his backpack while the other bounced against his chest. His feet tapped against the sidewalk, happily splashing into puddles like it was no one's business.

Hiccup just rolled his eyes and kept walking, ignoring the smug look on his brother's face. He loved his brother, he loved his brother a lot. But sometimes, it was just embarrassing to be around him. One day, someone asked if they were actually related due too all the differences. One time Hiccup was able to convince one of his friends that they weren't.

"Smell of fresh cut wet grass." Jack said, taking a deep breath in and letting it out. "Love it."

The brunet nodded, looking out for the bus. "I'm surprised you can smell anything over your man perfume." He commented with a smile.

"It's not 'man perfume', Hic. It's cologne." Jack rolled his eyes and looked down at his younger brother.

"Yeah, well, it would smell better if you had showered and only used a little bit of it."

"If I had enough time, I would have showered."

"The alarm went off at six." Hiccup shook his head. "We both woke up at six. It's seven thirty-five right now. You had enough time to take a shower but you didn't get up until I hit you with that pillow."

Jack nodded and sat on the bench behind them, yawning. "And I'm still tired…"

It was strange how lazy his older brother became over the years. The brunet always imagined him playing basketball or joining the swim team. He was always so hyper and active; running around, jumping off things, he even swam laps in the neighbors' pool when they weren't home. It was sad to see that, since his accident, he hadn't been doing much of anything.

Stoick had noticed it, too. During Jack's first year of high school, he tried hard to get him into the swim team. He drove him to practices, watched all the meets, and even got so far as to bring the team out for movies on the weekends. After the first season, the blond never went back to swimming. In fact, there was a huge fight that resulted in a vase being broken and their mother's picture almost falling.

When the bus finally arrived, Hiccup sighed in relief, taping his brother's leg with his foot. It took a moment for him to stand up and walk on after him, letting him sit closest to the window. Friends who had sat in front of the pair turned around, complimenting Hiccup and laughing with Jack. They all swapped school schedules to see what classes they had together and even wrote their names down beside them. When the youngest of them all looked over the list, he sighed but smiled. Nearly all his class were with his brother, all except for third period.

It wasn't long until they got to the school, their bus caught in a sea of many. Hiccup took out a pen and wrote down the number of their bus, even though it never changed in all their years of going to school. But, he just wanted to make sure. One year, Jack kept saying he knew the bus number, he knew where it parked, there wasn't anything for the young one to worry about. That was until they actually got on the bus and realized they were heading close to the edge of town. Their father wasn't too happy about that.

When they finally walked into the school, it was almost intimidating. The Freshmen seemed to be getting bigger with every year that passed and this year, their egos were about as big as they were.

Hiccup sighed and glanced around at people picking on others, girls talking in corners. "Something tells me it's not going to be such a great year." He muttered.

Jack smiled and rolled his eyes, nudging the brunet with his shoulder. "For you, maybe, but this is my last year. It's going to be the best! And after, I'll finally be-"

"In College? Getting a job? Becoming more mature?"

"…Free. I was going to say free."

He smiled slightly and gave out a chuckle. "There is no 'free'. What about college? Don't you want to get a degree other than this one?"

"Maybe." Jack shrugged and nodded with a smirk toward a group of girls that, in turn, giggled and whispered to each other. Freshmen no doubt. "But what would I get it in?"

"Something that makes you happy." Hiccup answered his brother. "It's no use getting something that'll just pay the bills. You'll be miserable for the rest of your life if you do."

That was the life he wanted the older one to have. So many people had gone into the fast food business, never being able to get out of it. He wanted Jack to have the kind of life that would make him smile everyday like he always did. Not one where he stayed at home, wasting his life asking if anybody would like fries with their order.

The major places for hanging out before first bell was the gym, the stairwells, the front hallways, and the library. The classrooms were almost completely empty and the cafeteria served horrible food to where the smell made you gag. Nonetheless, the two always went down there, taking the small cartons of milk and tiny bowls of cereal they offered. They would have taken a breakfast sandwich or bagel, but the bagels always tasted like rubber and the breakfast sandwiches were never cooked all the way. During Hiccup's first year of school, he bit into one and the yoke spilled everywhere. He was sick for a week or so.

After going downstairs and opening his fruit loops, Jack smiled at his younger brother. "Don't stress out this year, okay?"

"What do you mean 'stress out'? I'm perfectly fine." Hiccup answered, already eating his cheerios.

"No you're not. You're worried about the SATs and homecoming and everything."

"How did you know all that?"

"I read your journal."

"You what?!"

"Hey, hey, relax." Jack patted his hand. "I only read what said 'first day of school'. Only school things, I promise. But, it's for your own good."

Hiccup glared at him. "No, Jack, it's not 'for my own good'. How would it be anyway? You reading my personal thoughts and worries is not for my own good."

"It is if I know them." He cleared his throat. "That way I can help you. Like, you were worried about what to ware for today." He shrugged and looked him over. "You look fine. A little stuffy, but fine."

Thankfully, for Jack, the bell had rung and the only thing Hiccup could get out was a grumble. The older of the two smirked, threw the rest of his breakfast away, and quickly began walking to their first period, smiling the whole way.

Teens piled out of the gym, roaring and shouting as they walked as one huge group. The ones in the library just laughed and talked to only each other as they made their way to class. It was strange to see in the halls; small groups, medium groups, and large groups that took up so much of the hall that you'd have to slip into a bathroom so they could pass. It was very stereotypical.

Hiccup did as he always did on almost everyday of school; cling to his brother's sleeve and avoid eye contact with everybody and anybody. They almost always had every class together but when they didn't, Jack was nice enough to walk the brunet to his class, making sure nobody picked any fights with him.

When they finally got to their first period class, it was nice and cool and held the air of something that was brand new. Posters of the human body were scattered across the walls and hotlines for mental health care centers were written in bold letters on one whiteboard. They both knew what class this was and it made Hiccup blush furiously as he sat down next to Jack, taking off his backpack and pulling out a notebook and pen. The other, of course, just leaned back in his chair with a smirk and watch the other students walk in, their teacher not so far behind.

The bell sounded for class to start and the door was shut. No way out, no way in. The teacher stood behind his desk and smiled at the filled seats, placing his hands on his hips.

"Welcome to sexual education."


End file.
